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<h1>
    JOY DIVISION
</h1>

<div class="quote">
    "Old Order."<br />

    <img alt="Sumner, Hook, Curtis and Morris: the definitive formation" src="images/division.png" />
</div>

<div class="members">
    Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Ian Curtis and Steve Morris<br />

    <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/games/create.html">South Park Create-A-Character</a>
</div>

<p class="albumList">
  <a href="#pleasures">Unknown Pleasures</a><br />
  <a href="#closer">Closer</a><br />
</p>

<p>Goodness gracious, what a complicated band. From the moment I put <strong>Unknown Pleasures</strong> on, I knew the band was no cup of cake, but I didn't know it would be <em>so</em> tricky to fully grasp. You know, everywhere they say that the band is depressing, that their albums are some of the saddest ones ever made, that they truly started the Goth Rock movement, how they are related with The Cure and The Smiths, and all that. But I'm quite sure that, the moment you hear Joy Division for the first time, their music will be completely different from what you <em>expect</em> it to be. If you expect to be awfully depressed to the point of never wanting to go out of your house again, you'll only be awfully <em>frustrated</em> after the music ends, because that's not quite the case.</p>

<p>Of course, it will depend on how affected you are by the music, and what you're used to listening to. I know that some people react a lot to the band's music, and that it's extremely emotional in a way, but this is <em>not</em> gratuitously in-your-face angsty music. If you want that, buy The Cure's <strong>Pornography</strong>, not <strong>Unknown Pleasures</strong> and/or <strong>Closer</strong>. This isn't music made to depress people. It was simply made by a band that started out as a Punk outfit, and by a man that had some <em>actual</em> problems in his life. It sounds "sad" because it actually is.</p>

<p>Thing is, it was very difficult for me to truly understand what their music represents, what it <em>is</em>, what it means, and what it's <em>supposed</em> to be and mean. In fact, I <em>still</em> can't understand it well. And it's not a question of putting the albums over and over on the playlist until it "clicks". I just think this music doesn't resonate in me. And so, what <em>is</em> this music? Well, as I said, they started as a Punk outfit, but then they changed... and became Post Punk. Of course, Post Punk is not a definition, or a genre, or a style. Like Andrew Woehrel once told me, Joy Division, Wire and the Flaming Lips were all Post Punk, and they're completely different from each other. What happens is that <strong>Unknown Pleasures</strong>, released in '79, was a landmark in the history of rock music. It had <em>traces</em> of Punk, but was nothing like Punk at all. It's so hard to cathegorise, that some people labelled it as "Goth rock", starting some kind of "movement" in the UK (Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, etc.). The band had a quite distinct sound: they weren't really skilled in their instruments (they could play it, but showed no signs of mastery or wizardry, that is), and Ian Curtis very often sang out of tune in his Baritone voice. That means their music is not based in <em>technique</em>, but in writing. And they <em>could</em> write a song! Very often, Peter Hook's bass would be the key element to the song, and there was always an interesting line, a riff, a vocal melody, <em>something</em>... and always an intriguing set of lyrics written by Curtis. The man's lyrics were true works of art, real poems set to music. But the <em>music</em>?</p>

<p>Well, think of it like this: if, for you, the quality of the music is measured by techniques <em>strictly</em>, quantity of chords, tuned singing and all that, you'll <em>hate</em> the band, pure and simply. But if you see something <em>beyond</em> that in the music you hear, you'll be, at least, <em>interested</em> in them. They're not immediately likeable, but they're <em>interesting</em>, as their music is quite unique. But do give 'em a chance. Try <strong>Unknown Pleasures</strong>, for a start. But if you're trying to be a completist and know <em>as much as you can</em> about the band, your best bet is the <strong>Heart And Soul</strong> 4CD boxset, which includes their two studio albums, as well as a shitload of rare tracks and singles (among them the remarkable 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'), as well as live performances.</p>

<p>PS: I don't know if I need to express this here, but Ian Curtis's portrayal on the South Park caricature above does <em>NOT</em>, by any means, allude to his death. It does allude, though, to his 'singing expression', that's featured in a couple of Joy Division fansites around the Web. I don't intend to offend anyone with it.</p>

<p><a href="mailto:sirmustapha@ig.com.br">Mail your ideas</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="pleasures" class="best">Unknown Pleasures (1979)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Disorder</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">Disorder ++</span></li>
  <li>Day Of The Lords <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Candidate</li>
  <li><span class="good">Insight ++</span></li>
  <li>New Dawn Fades <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>She's Lost Control <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Shadowplay <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Wilderness</li>
  <li>Interzone</li>
  <li>I Remember Nothing <span class="good">+</span></li>
</ol>

<p>A total landmark, in every aspect. Almost everything about the album is unforgettable. The cover is as hideously minimal as it could be, but instantly recognisable anywhere: "100 consecutive pulses from the pulsar CP 1919". That is, they were readings from the first radio pulsar ever known. Does it mean anything? Good question.</p>

<p>But one thing is to look at the cover and ponder upon its possible meanings, but something else is to lay the disc on the turntable and put the needle on it. Quite a big difference, you know. The music in the album deserves some detailed explanation, I think. The band and their producer, Martin Harnett, found a quite unique sound for the band, and that sound <em>defines</em> the album. The recipe? Take a drumkit that sounds rather "thin", but add a shivery "tail" of reverb to it; take a bass that doesn't always sound like a bass, because the notes it plays are too high; add a guitar that almost always sound like an unclear, distorted haze; spice it up with various small synth seasonings; and finally, lay the unhappy lyrics and low-pitched vocals on top and you're finished. That's the formula for <em>the entire album</em>, you see. But it doesn't mean that all tracks are copies of each other: only the <em>production</em> is the same, and in this case, it gives the album a lot of unity and cohesion, which makes it three times as powerful, I believe.</p>

<p>See, the best showcase for this "sound" is the opening track, 'Disorder', one of the fastest songs here. It opens with the drums, and then there comes the bass: it just keeps repeating a line of three notes, but they're so distant from each other that the bass doesn't give any kind of foundation to the song. It's never <em>grounded</em> in something, so it just levitates. The guitar starts producing that hazy mess of two or three notes, and when the synthesizer starts playing those whooshing sounds like a cold wind blowing right through you, the snowstorm is complete. Not only it's the ideal opener, but it's the song that gets constantly stuck to my head, and argueably my favourite. The other "fast" song here is a complete oddity, though: 'Interzone' is pretty much a Punk song, and the only moment in the album where both the bass and the guitar sound the way they "should", and where Ian uses a higher register to sing. There's even an actual Punkish riff in there!</p>

<p>But the rest is pretty mid-tempo to slow. Among these eight remaining track, the only one that's reminiscent to an actual "rock song" is 'Shadowplay': intense, noisy and heavy. Great, too, and it even has something of a guitar solo at the end. The cruel guitar sound is a boost here. Another blast is 'Insight', though a more subtle one. The bass plays those high notes again, almost like a mantra, and Ian Curtis's vocal lines are quite catchy, in fact. And when he stops, there's a freaky intermezzo with stomping drums and wild laser-beam effects on the synthesizers, while the bass plays a solo thing. Most unexpected, I'd say! 'She's Lost Control' is a memorable one, a true signature song. Instead of hitting a snare drum, Stephen keeps banging on what sounds like a steel pipe, and Ian's lyrics and vocals are striking.</p>

<p>There are the slow songs, too, but they're far from "ballads", notice. 'Day Of The Lords' crawls by like a dying person, heavy guitar growns everywhere, and Ian sounding truly, really convincing on the microphone - the "Where will it end?" chorus is one of the most memorable things on the album. 'New Dawn Fades' is truly beautiful; of course, it's that kind of dark, miserable beauty, but you get my point. 'Candidate' is scarily void, with not much more than sparse drumming and grim bass notes - and Ian's singing, of course. And to close things, the longest song here, 'I Remember Nothing', is a real zombie of a song, something of a symbol of "Goth rock" (however inadequate this label is to Joy Division). There's hardly any rhythm here, apart from the stomping drums and the occasional clicking guitar. The bass just keeps booming a single note, and the synthesizer hums are dominant. Do I need to mention Ian's death vocals? No? Good.</p>

<p>Alright, this review is quite full of epithets, isn't it? But remember what I said previously: don't expect something incredibly depressing angst from this album right away. You'll have to swallow this album slowly, and you'll only realise how miserable and hopeless the album is <em>after</em> it deceived and puzzled you. <em>Only</em> after that happens, you can declare yourself as a hater or as a worshipper... though I'd recommend you to get <strong>Closer</strong>, too, and form a better opinion. I mean, they have <em>only two albums</em>. It can't be too hard to become a conoisseur of the band's studio output, can it? Of course, you shouldn't forget the rare tracks and singles and such, scattered over several compilations. Try <strong>Substance</strong>. It has 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', remember?</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>13/15</strong></big> - Okay, "fun" is not an appropriate word here.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>12/15</strong></big> - I mean, this stuff doesn't <em>really</em> reach me the way it reaches some other people,<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>14/15</strong></big> - That, I can say: this music is <em>their</em> own music, and nobody else's.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>13/15</strong></big> - Good stuff is everywhere here. Maybe 'Wilderness' and 'Interzone' lack a bit, but that's perfectly forgivable.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>13/15</strong></big> - No explanations here. This is solid as a rock.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/13.png" alt="13" />
</p>

<p>Comments? Remarks? Words of praise and angst? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="closer">Closer (1980)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Atrocity Exhibition</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">Atrocity Exhibition ++</span></li>
  <li>Isolation</li>
  <li>Passover <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Colony ++</span></li>
  <li>A Means To An End</li>
  <li>Heart And Soul <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Twenty Four Hours</li>
  <li>The Eternal <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Decades <span class="good">+</span></li>
</ol>

<p>Okay, fellas, I'll just say: <em>this</em> album I can't really understand. I read a list of the "saddest albums ever" somewhere, and this one was in the second position. <strong>Unknown Pleasures</strong> was a few positions below it, but I don't get it. This albums strikes me <em>much less</em> than <strong>Unknown Pleasures</strong>, and I almost get no feelings from it. I dunno, it's weird. And worse: I can't quite explain why. But I'll take a guess: this album isn't as solid and cohesive as its predecessor. You see, the previous <em>did</em> have an unique sound and style running all the way through it. But this? It sounds like completely unrelated tracks slammed into an album. Maybe the band was trying to expand its boundaries, try new things, grow artistic maturity... or something. But the result doesn't really touch me very much.</p>

<p>Mind you, I say that only in comparison with the previous album, which is excellent. Whatever complaints I have against <strong>Closer</strong>, I still like it, and think it's a very good and solid offerning. And how could I say otherwise? Many people think this is the best Joy Division LP. Alright, I must say, there are only <em>two options</em>, and a "which is better, <strong>Unknown Pleasures</strong> or <strong>Closer</strong>" debate among Joy Division fans will probably be every bit as divided as the public opinion about George Bush vs. John Kerry in the USA in 2004. But of course, neither album is as awful as Bush (sorry, all you Bush-loving Christian-fanatic homophobic xenophobic Iraqi-hating weirdos, I don't mean to offend you, but I <em>couldn't</em> let that one slip by).</p>

<p>But anyway, <strong>Closer</strong>. What a creepy album title, eh? What does it mean? "More close" or "the closing one"? I mean, think about it: this is <em>creepy</em>, especially when you consider that Ian Curtis killed himself just before the album's release, and that the picture on the cover is an illustration from a cemetery. Really, this title means two things simultaneously: that Ian Curtis was <strong>Closer</strong> to his death, which makes this album the <strong>Closer</strong> of his carreer. Eek!</p>

<p>Alright, sorry, that was unecessary (but it made sense). The music? Well, it's pretty mixed. These songs are so... <em>different</em> from what they did the previous year, and there is <em>one</em> that could almost fit <strong>Unknown Pleasures</strong> without being altered at all: 'Passover'. But the rest? Well, there are two songs here that are so... <em>jumpy</em>, they're pretty weird to listen to. 'A Means To An End' has got that octave-jumping bass, and the vocal melody is even catchy, in spite of being so cruelly twisted. 'Heart And Soul' has a really, really moody sound, though, with a synth bass humming, synth strings humming, a quirky drum pattern, and Ian's hushed vocals reverberating so heavily, you feel like he's inside a tunnel. It's a fast song, too, and a good one.</p>

<p>That's the thing: even with such oddities, most songs here are quite good. Of course, some just don't seem to cut it to me: 'Twenty Four Hours' has a good bass line, contrasts between fast and slow sections, but oddly, Ian's vocal melody doesn't seem to belong to the song at all! Plus, there is an uniformity to the vocal melodies here, they seem like they're just one melody adapted to half of these tracks. 'Isolation' is so odd, it's downright creepy. It's so... synth-poppy! There's the fast rhythm, and those buzzing synth-brass sounds, and the vocal melody... but the lyrics! What <em>is</em> this? Of course, I don't mean I dislike those tracks. They just seem to oppose the idea of the album completely - if there <em>is</em> one idea, of course. But there are excellent things here! 'Atrocity Exhibition' and 'Colony' are my favourites: the former is built entirely on a cool percussion pattern, while the guitar truly produces the ugly, raw sounds. The rhythm rules, though, and the combination of Ian's vocals and his lyrics are a blast. Definitive highlight. 'Colony', on the other hand, has this <em>really</em> evil-sounding three-note bass+guitar riff looping constantly, while the drums play an opposing rhythm. And the song is entirely built on that! It's so heavy and so raw, it's crushing.</p>

<p>The album ends on a really melancholic and sad note, though. 'The Eternal' is a goddamn <em>ballad</em>, with a slow rhythm, a <em>piano</em>, and beautiful vocals. The lyrics are something special, too. Man, this guy wrote <em>poems</em> indeed, and you know I generally don't care much about lyrics. I can see who Robert Smith was taking his cues from ('The Funeral Party', anyone?), though Smith took the wise decision to create a whole style of his own later on. 'Decades' is also beautiful in a way, and a quite appropriate closer for an album like this, even if it's much more mellow than the first seven tracks.</p>

<p>Eee, creepy. I better stop thinking about all these hidden meanings on the album and the songs, when I think of Ian Curtis's fate. I mean, it's not like I keep mystifying the others' deaths. I hate that. But truth is, this band is quite a myth to be told, and their music is even more important - influential, affecting, unique and memorable. I just don't love this album the way I should, but is that a problem? If you're a fan of this album, feel free to send me comments and laud it as much as you can. You're a free person (in this website, at least)! If people love this album, it's only reason for  this album to exist, and I'm proud of that. God bless Joy Division (the <em>band</em>, that is!).</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>12/15</strong></big> - Um, okay. A twelve. Not a thirteen, but not an eleven, either.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>11/15</strong></big> - I told you this stuff doesn't <em>really</em> affect me.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>13/15</strong></big> - Right! This is still <em>their own</em> music, but not as unique as before, I think.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>13/15</strong></big> - Yeah! Goodies here too.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>11/15</strong></big> - Well, um...
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/12.png" alt="12" />
</p>

<p><a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Send me your opinions</a>! They're important!</p>

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